Tubular support for skate runners and process



Match 18, 1930. G. E. SCHMIDT 1,750,691

TUBULAR SUPPORT FOR SKATE RUNNERS AND PROCESS Filed Jan. 24, 1928 wmmaustafllx 5 lam/tail; 5 CD95.

Patented Mar. 18, 1930 GUSTAV E. SCHMIDT, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TUBULAR SUPPORT FOR SKATE RUNNERS ANI) PROCESS Application filed January 24, 1928. Serial No. 249,045.

My invention relates to ice skates and particularly to the construction of the tubular support for the runner of the ice skate. The

invention also includes the method by which 6 the tubular support is made and by which the runner is assembled thereto.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a very rugged, yet light-weight support for the runner of an ice skate which is constructed and arranged firmly and securely to hold the blade in true operative position and which structure will resist the usual wrenching and turning moments which tend to tear the runner from its socket or out of true alignment.

Another object of my invention resides in the novel construction of a one-piece sheet metal support of tubular construction and which support is formed with an inwardly extending, relatively deep pocket longitudinally of the support for the reception of the skate runner. An ancillary object resides in the manner of bending or folding the tubular one-piece blank so as to form this pocket in a manner snugly and firmly to hold and back up the skate runner while at the same time providing tubularportions lying on each side of the pocket and in a manner strongly to reinforce the walls forming the pocket for the skate runner.

Another object of my invention resides in the method by which my improved tubular support is formed from an original sheet metal tubular blank.

These and other objects of my invention will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved tubular skate support;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank which I use in forming the tubular support;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the next operation performed upon the blank;

Fig. 5 shows the succeeding operation; and

Fig. 6 shows the end view of the tubular support with the end of the runner held in position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I

in order to provide a support for the skate runner that is essentially light-weight and essentially rugged and arranged to form a very firm support for the blade runner, I form the tubular support in a manner best illustrated and described by reference to the process in making it. As illustrated in Fig ure 3 of the drawings, I prefer to start with a tubular blank of sheet metal, preferably of sheet steel. This blank is ultimately formed into the tubular support 2 shown in Figure 1 and to which are fastened the usual heel cup 4, toe cup 6 and toe brace 8 supporting the toe plate 10and the heelplate 12. The tubular support 2 receives and rigidly supports the usual skate runner 14 having a substantially upwardly curved fold 16 and the usual rearwardly formed portion 18.

Starting now with the tubular sheet steel blank 20 illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing, preferably the first step in forming this blank is to stamp from each end thereof the spaced apart and opposed tongues or ears 22 and 24 which tongues have their walls converging together in a somewhat blunt point and which tongues are spaced apart as at 26 and 28. The next step in the process consists in deforming the tube in the manner indicated in Figures 2 and 5, so as to fold a portion of the tube wall inwardly upon itself to provide' a re-entrant or inwardly folded pocket extending longitudinally of the tube and which pocket comprises an inward- 1y extending flanged wall 30 and an opposed flanged wall 32 and which walls are continuous with an intermediate basal flange 34 extending at right angles to the flanges32 and 30 and which basal flange 34 abuts the flat upper longitudinally extending surface 36 of the blank whereby to provide a firm backing. It will be noticed that the walls 30 and 32, forming the pocket, are spaced apart substantially equal to the width of the skate runner 38 so as to snugly receive the same. It will also be noticed that in so forming the infolded pocket, the tubular blank 20 is provided with a first tubular portion 40 and a second tubular portion 42 disposed on each side of the intermediate pocket formed by the walls 30, 32 and 34 of the blank. Simultaneously with the deformation of this tubular blank 20 or thereafter, I also die-press together the end tongues of portions 22 and 24 to provide the somewhat bluntly pointed nose as shown in Figure 5. The two separate tongues, when thus pinched and curled together will leave between them a slot 44 adapted to receive the front or rear of the skate, depending upon which end the runner is inserted. This slot 44 is in exact alignment with the longitudinally extending pocket formed by the walls 30, 32 and 34.

The runner 38, when inserted in this longitudinal pocket, has its inner end 46 snugly abutting the basal flanged wall 34 and has its side snu 'l contactin the inner faces of the.

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side walls 30 and 32 whereby the skate runner is firmly and securely held and backed by the walls forming this pocket and also by the flat wall 36 on the upper surface of the blank and in addition, is strongly reinforced by the hollow or tubular construction 40 and 42 on each side thereof. It will be noticed that a considerable area of the skate runner is seated within this socket and is thus held rigidly and firmly by a support of lightweight construction which embraces a considerable area of the skate runner. The skate runner is preferably soldered in its seat thus formed whereby the usual riveting or spotwelding operations are not necessary and whereby there is eliminated any danger of warping or injuring the runner during these attaching operations. It will also be evident, by reason of this construction the runner is held truly and firmly throughout its length while at the same time, in case of detachment for repairs or replacement, the runner may be easily removed from its socket without injuring it or the tubular support. Still another advantage of my construction resides in the fact that my tubular support is formed of a single and integral blank of sheet metal of tubular form whereby the supports may be very economically formed from a relatively long length of tubing cut into proper length for the formation of the separate supports and then by a simple diepressing operation these supports may be properly folded to form the re-entrant sockets or pockets and in the manner described herein.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ice skate having a support formed of an integral tube of sheet metal having a reentrant pocket and a runner mounted in said pocket.

2. An ice skate having a support formed of a tubular length of sheet metal, one portion of the peripheral walls of which is inwardly folded longitudinally of the tube to provide a re-entrant pocket and a skate runner seated in said pocket.

3. An ice skate formed of a blank of sheet metal endless in cross-section and bent to provide a flat top wall and two lateral curved walls and an under wall having a re-entrant fold therein extending inwardly with the walls spaced apart to form a pocket and a tubular portion on each side thereof and a skate runner mounted in said pocket.

4. An ice skate having a runner support formed ,of sheet metal which is continuous in cross-section, one of the wall portions of said metal being bent longitudinally thereof to provide two inwardly extending spaced apart walls with the inner junction of said walls abutting an opposite portion of said metal blank whereby to form a pocket with tubular portions on each side thereof and extending longitudinally of the pocket and a skate runner seated in said pocket with the inner edge of the skate abutting the bottom wall of the pocket.

5. An ice skate having a runner support formed of a tubular length of sheet steel, said tubular length having a portion of its wall pressed inwardly to provide a longitudinal pocket having parallel spaced apart walls and an integral junction wall and providing substantially identical tubular portions 011 each side of the walls of the pocket and a skate runner mounted in said pocket and soldered in position.

6. An ice skate having a support formed of a tube of sheet steel having substantially bluntly pointed ends formed with slots, a portion of the tube having its walls formed with a re-entrant .fold extending longitudinally of the tube and in line with the slots at the ends, said re-entrantly folded walls being substantially parallel and a skate runner seated between said walls in the pocket with the ends of the runner inserted in the slots in the ends of the tube.

7. The herein described process of forming a tubular support for an ice skate which consists in deforming a tubular length of sheet steel so as to inwardly fold a portion of the walls of said tube to provide a longitudinal pocket having parallel spaced apart walls, shaping the ends of said tubes to close the same and inserting a runner in said pocket.

8. The herein described process which consists in forming the ends of a tubular length of sheet metal to provide spaced apart sub stantially pointed tongues at each end, in folding a portion of the wall of the tube along its length to provide a pocket having spaced apart parallel walls and a basal portion contacting with the opposite inner wall of the tube and pressing the spaced tongues together to provide substantially bluntly pointed ends with the spaces between the tongues forming slots in line with the pocket and inserting a skate runner in the pocket with the front and rear of the skate inserted in said slots.

9. A skate having a tubular support formed of a tube of sheet steel, the walls of which are folded inwardly longitudinally and through the center of the tube to provide a re-entrant pocket and a skate runner soldered in position in said pocket.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GUSTAV E. SCHMIDT. 

